If they can get slots I can definitely see them making money on medium length routes. Moscow, maybe Tel Aviv, maybe Turkey. Although I haven't flown them in a long time and am not really a fan of what Virgin has become many people really like flying them so I'm sure they would do well.

I wonder in all honesty what else would you have had BMI do? They had more codeshares than any airline ever?
In more recent days, they seemed to have little focus beyond being a good little partner and carrying other people's passengers via LHR. They were not focussed on much beyond flying as many slots as possible.
Would VS use an A333 off the bat for this?

With thousands of nouveau riche commuting between the UK and Russia,
together with the suitable strategic branding of Virgin Atlantic, I'm sure we could see up to 2 daily flights offering for both connecting and point-to-point pax.

whilst (VS) they were in Cancun to launch then new route to LGW in the media release it is said they want to use the new A333 on the Moscow Route, as they want to go up against BA who use 744's with first class.

Just pointing out that the star ship has likely passed. If STAR wanted VS then bmi would not have gone to BA, UA/CO would not have ended their FF agreements and of course SQ could have opened some doors.

Quoting anstar (Reply 16):Just pointing out that the star ship has likely passed. If STAR wanted VS then bmi would not have gone to BA, UA/CO would not have ended their FF agreements and of course SQ could have opened some doors.

Oh, sorry.

Would they get one foot in the door at Sky being half owned by Star ?

(oh my head hurts...when did it all get so complicated)

Maybe its got nothing to do with the alliances and they just want a shiny new terminal ?

Flying is like sex - I've never had all I wanted but occasionally I've had all I can stand.

I doubt 'getting VS into Star' has ever been discussed at an SQ management meeting. I'd doubt Star is discussed on anything more than a rare occasion in their own strategy meetings such is the carriers loose involvement with the group.

Quoting laca773 (Reply 10):What a/c would VS use on a route like this? A333? Can they get a hold of a couple of A321s in the near future?

Likely to be the A330 as they aren't likely to want a small subfleet of A321(S).

Quoting mikey72 (Reply 15):Could it one day be the worlds shortest commercial A380 flight ?

Quoting LAXintl (Reply 5):No I think the Airbus was part of the Virgin Greek venture - South East European Airways that ran between Athens and London, and was later absorbed into Virgin fleet itself.

Ah how right you are...just checked it out on the photo search engine. Cute little airbus it was too! Didnt realise it was a venture with another carrier and for some reason had it in my head it was for moscow services!

My views are my own and do not reflect any other person or organisation.

Brilliant strategy from Virgin. They must have noticed a fall in passenger numbers and demand after they lost bmi doing their feeder service.

Could we possibly start seeing more feeder routes into LHR with virgin? Edinburgh, Dublin, Manchester, Nice, Hannover perhaps? Although could Virgin fill a A330 on these routes and would it be financially viable?

If you are asking can VS fill an A330 on those routes, um, let's just run with "no". If they were going to run short haul they'd hey a short haul fleet. As to what STAR wants, by its very nature, the alliance is coping with competing wishes and needs of occasionally feuding carriers. I think people on here, when speaking of SkyTeam or STAR having direction and strategy, are perhaps overstating the case. I doubt Air Canada for one wanted BMI to go to BA as their many LHR flights had some good feed from domestic whereas perhaps short haul LHR STAR carriers cared not one whit.

Since BA started using the B744 and B763, there seems to be a lot less Aeroflot at LHR. We used to see the odd B763 from them on a weekend too. Not sure a Virgin A333 would be the best equipment to start off with.

25 LHRFlyer
: I'm sure they want some of the action. But it's fair to say that until BA put long-haul aircraft on this route, they exploited the lack of competitio

26 rutankrd
: 4 daily so no change in frequency by Aeroflot however they changed flight numbers and decoupled all but two weekly through flight codes to Tokyo Sche

27 LX138
: I think this route could do well. There does seem to be less. I remember the IL-86's packed to the rafters. Now it's rarely anything other than a A321

28 AAMDanny
: I hear from my friends at VS is that a charter airline is going to be subbed in to operate the route on 'the A320 family' And if it is a success, othe

29 sq_ek_freak
: And don't forget our BKK-HKG-BKK run as well as our DXB-JED-DXB flights. Hasn't BA always had the premium traffic on this route?

30 laca773
: That's true. However, perhaps VS will want to add a few other routes from LHR/LGW/MAN. Possibly TLV? The A321 would be a good a/c for those markets.

31 jumpjets
: One of the conditions of the BA acquisition of BMI was that two of the LHR slots to be surrendered were allocated, outside the tender process for the

32 GCT64
: TSO's flights into LHR are very much "equipment varies", looking at the first 5 days of July, they operated with: 1st: B763 + B738 2nd: B738 + B737 3

33 Calpe
: There is a lot on people on this thread mentioning Virgin adding more short/medium haul routes if Moscow is a success but I thought the whole point be

34 jumpjets
: In essence the conditions are 14 pairs of slots have to be surrendered as follows: •Seven daily slot pairs to be used between Heathrow and either E

35 f4f3a
: Will be fine on this leg lots of a330 on short haul routes To places like agp gva pmi. Emirates runs lots of turn around Flights similar length as wel

36 tonystan
: I agree, its also a good utilisation of an aircraft. VS using the A330s and even perhaps its 747s on certain short/medium haul routes could help incr

37 willd
: No. VS operated 321's of its own right. These replaced the 320's which they had to operate the ATH route they took over from SEEA having operated the

38 AirPacific747
: Aha.. that explains why I saw a BA 744 on flightradar24 on its way to Moscow.. thought it was a large aircraft for such a relatively short route..

39 skipness1E
: SEEA, South East European Airways, operated SX-BSV from memory, A320 in VS colours. They went bust and BA took the A320 in house as G-OUZO. This was l